Note by V.I.Lenin

10.VII.

т. Krestinsky: In view of Stalin's insistence to take Sok[olniko]va to the Crimean front (very dangerous now), I agree, but only on condition of finding a deputy in Turkestan, a politician, not a Chekist. And not Molotov.

Lenin.

Letter from N.N. Krestinsky

To Comrade Lenin

copies to Stalin, Trotsky, Kamenev

Vladimir Ilyich,

yesterday I received the following note from you through Stalin:

In view of Stalin's insistence to take Sokolnikov to the Crimean front (very dangerous now), I agree, but only on condition of finding a deputy in Turkestan, a politician, not a Chekist, and not Molotov.

Lenin.

Note by N.N. Krestinsky

With the receipt of this note, the question of the composition of the Turkestan Commission, which had been twice decided by the Politburo, became open again.

Stalin, however, added that you will join the candidate on which he and I will agree, if these candidates will satisfy the positive and negative conditions set forth in your note.

We clashed on sending Eliava to Turkestan instead of Sokolnikov and Legrand instead of Eliava to Turkey, and I reserved the right to insist on Sokolnikov remaining in Moscow rather than sending him to the Crimean front.

When I informed you by telephone of our agreement, you did not join it and put forward another combination: Eliava - Turkey, Sokolnikov - the front, Legrand - Turkestan.

Although Legrand, according to my deep conviction, which I expressed to you on the telephone, is not suitable for such a huge task as the management of Turkestan, because he has no experience of all-Soviet and economic work and is not initiative enough, nevertheless I immediately asked Chicherin about the possibility of not sending Mr. Legrand to Armenia. Chicherin informed me that Legrand had already left for Erivan a few days ago, that the Armenian Government had already been informed that the continuation of the peace negotiations unfinished in Moscow was entrusted to him, and that regardless of this he objected to replacing Legrand in Armenia with a lesser man, as he attached great importance to our good relations with white Armenia as the only route for all military and non-military transportation to Turkey. (The roads of Zangezur and Karabakh are completely impassable).

Thus for objective reasons we have to abandon both your plan to send Legrand to Turkestan and my plan to replace Eliava with him in Turkey. We have either to stay with the decision to send Sokolnikov to Turkestan, or to change him with Eliava, sending him to Turkey, or, leaving Eliava in Turkey, to send Molotov to Turkestan.

Molotov does not want to go to Turkestan, and neither does Sokolnikov, just as Sokolnikov will submit to the decision of the Central Committee. At one time you agreed (I was against it) to send Molotov to Bashkiria, which has no economic and political importance. It is much more rational to sacrifice him temporarily for Turkestan.

In conclusion, a few lines on whether Sokolnikov should be sent to Revsoviet 13 to the Crimean front. When Sokolnikov returned from the Caucasus, he pointed out that he was completely unsuitable for commissar work and that he could be used at the front only as a commander or comfront. With this agreed then and Trotsky and Stalin, and therefore, when the appointment of his appointment as commander of the South-Western Front, he was removed from military work and left in Moscow. In the Crimean direction Sokolnikov could be either Commander 13 or Commander of the Crimean Front, if such a front was formed. Commander 13 just appointed Uborevich, whom Stalin quite trusts and which is not going to replace. For the command of the front, when such a front is formed, we have an excellent candidate, recalled from Turkestan, - Frunze, all the more suitable because the new army being formed for this front and its commander Avksentievsky come from the former Turkestan front. Sokolnikov's position under the Communist commander, the rather overbearing Uborevich, will be very difficult for him, and yet he will be underutilized. If Sokolnikov agrees to this, it is only because he is ready to do anything just to get rid of Turkestan.

I shall await your reply whether you withdraw or not your proposal to reconsider the Turkestan decision. If you withdraw it, the old decision will remain in force. If not, we will raise the issue at the next meeting of the Politburo or, if there is no meeting by Friday, at the Plenum.

N. Krestinsky.

Moscow, the Kremlin.

July 11, 1920.

Note by V.I.Lenin

т. Krestinsky

1) I agree, since there is no other way out, to send Molotov to Turkestan.

2) Give Sok[olniko]v to Stalin, for he is very much asking for it, and things are tamplokhi2.

Lenin.

Published - "Izvestiya TsK CPSU", M., 1990, N° 4, p. 174- 27061 - Lenin's note - 177.

Fond 2, op. 1, d. 27060, autograph, note by N.N.Krestinsky - original.

1N.N.Krestinsky refers to the decision of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the RCP(b) of June 29, 1920 on the personal composition of the Turkestan Commission of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and SNK RSFSR: "To organize the Turkestan Commission in the following composition: appoint as chairman tt. Sokolnikov, members of t. Suritz and Bokia" and the Politburo meeting of July 7, 1920, where Krestinsky's proposal not to appoint Sokolnikov as chairman of the Turkestan Commission was discussed, but to leave Sh.Z.Eliava as chairman; this proposal was rejected.

2The Politburo of the Central Committee of the RCP(b) on July 27, 1920 decided to appoint Sokolnikov as Chairman of the Turkkomission and G.I.Safarov as a member; V.M.Molotov was not sent to Turkestan.